<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Deus Ex Machina (Loki Edition) by xxxRIPLEYxxx</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530873">Deus Ex Machina (Loki Edition)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxRIPLEYxxx/pseuds/xxxRIPLEYxxx'>xxxRIPLEYxxx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avengers, Law &amp; Order: Criminal Intent, Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Psychological Torture, Rare Pairings, Violence, Weird Plot Shit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:33:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,879</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxRIPLEYxxx/pseuds/xxxRIPLEYxxx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki is stressed and bored ruling Asgard as Odin, and he’s worried about Thanos. One of the ways he relieves his stress is by designing his own magical VR game and inserting humans into it. So far, they haven’t done too well, so he decides to use the two best detectives he can find. Bobby Goren and Olivia Benson find themselves the victims in the case of their lives.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Olivia Benson/Robert Goren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Deus Ex Machina (Loki Edition)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/malevolent_muse/gifts">malevolent_muse</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This little crack fic was written as part of a bargain with User24601 in exchange for some art work. I knew absolutely nothing about the Law and Order universe or its inhabitants, so forgive me if I didn’t get their characters exactly right. I watched a bunch of episodes to try to figure them out and I did my best.  I know Loki like the back of my hand and that’s why I used him to make this happen. Thank you, My Prince, for helping me out here.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p3">In the year or so Loki had been impersonating Odin on the throne, he’d spent most of it rebuilding Asgard after the Dark Elf attack, with all the accompanying administrative chores, meetings, and politics that entailed. It was necessary, extraordinarily boring, and stressful. He could never be himself, and in order to have any productive outlets for his energy, he had to sneak away and go to Midgard. Even there, he had to cover his tracks so Heimdall couldn’t see him. He’d discovered Earth had an endless selection of entertainments, and cinema was his favorite. He’d developed a particular love of a series of movies called “Saw.” They were creative and gave a fascinating insight into the human psyche, if the character studies were to be believed. He’d watched them all several times, and then had been struck with an inspiration. He could entertain himself and have it serve a purpose at the same time.</p><p class="p3">It had been laborious and required a significant amount of time, materials, and magical input, but over a period of several weeks, he’d created his own construct of the movies that functioned much like a virtual reality. His own way to test humans and see how they reacted, and it was one of the most captivating diversions he’d ever experienced in his millennium of life. Dropping random, ordinary people into horrific situations where they had to make life-and-death decisions was teaching him a lot about the human race.</p><p class="p3">No one <em>actually</em> died, of course, but the people he’d psychically inserted into his magic, extra-dimensional tunnel of horrors didn’t know that. In fact, he’d taken great care to ensure the “players” believed it was real. The trouble was, there had yet to be a pair who’d made it all the way through. He was beginning to think humans simply didn’t have the mental acuity and the resolve to do what was necessary under the kind of pressure he put on them. And, he <em>wanted</em> them to succeed. The Nine Realms would need all the help they could get when Thanos came for the Infinity Stones. But, was humanity worthy? After all, it had taken a team of five superhumans and another god (his brother, to be precise) to defeat <em>him</em>. Perhaps Earth didn’t deserve a place at the table as a protectorate of Asgard against the coming storm Thanos was bringing to their doorstep.</p><p class="p3">Maybe he’d give them one more chance, with a hand-picked team instead of a random one. He’d spend the next few days looking for just the right pair. One male and one female, just for fairness’ sake; and, fairness was not a condition he used lightly. Almost nothing was ever fair.</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">“Go home, Liv. It’s four in the morning.I’ve got this,” Elliot Stabler barely looked up from the stack of papers in front of him.</p><p class="p3">“Nope. I can’t sleep, anyway. I’m too pissed off. Hand over a few,” she said, settling back into the chair across from Stabler.</p><p class="p3">They spent the next hour going over a stack of reports of sightings of the Night Ripper that had come in that day, finding nothing useful. Olivia Benson sighed and turned to head home.</p><p class="p3">“G’night, Elliot. See you tomorrow. Say hi to Kathy and the kids.”</p><p class="p3">Exhausted, frustrated, and angry, she was on autopilot most of the trip home. She showered and settled into bed with a glass of wine, still too wired to sleep, when the brightest flash of lightning she’d ever seen lit up the room.</p><p class="p3">
  <em>What the hell? </em>
</p><p class="p3">There were no thunderstorms in the area and none were forecast. She got up to look out the window and everything went black, like she’d been hit in the head with a sack of rocks.</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">When she woke, she was in a dimly-lit room that looked like something out of a horror movie. It was filthy, furniture tossed randomly around the room, and had one door, which was closed. On the wall were several crooked paintings that looked typical of the art you’d find at Target. Worse, there was something around her head—something metal—and when she tried to put her hand to her face, it felt like a cage. She was wearing the same thin sleep-bra and panties she’d worn to bed. Across the room was a man in boxer briefs, wearing what she assumed was the same cage around his head, but, she couldn’t be certain, since there was no mirror. They both rose shakily to their feet at the same time.</p><p class="p3">“What the...where am I? Who are you?” the man asked.</p><p class="p3">“I’m Olivia. You speak English. OK, good. Who are you?”</p><p class="p3">“Bobby. Bobby Goren. Investigator, NYPD Major Case Squad.”</p><p class="p3">She stared at him as if he’d grown another head, which seemed laughable at the moment, considering their situation. He extended a hand, and she shook it.</p><p class="p3">”You’re serious? Goren—from NYPD? I’ve...heard of you. I’m Detective Olivia Benson, NYPD Special Victims Unit. Sex crimes. What the hell are we doing here?”</p><p class="p3">“I have no idea.”</p><p class="p3">They looked around the room for some sort of clue, when a voice came over a speaker system.</p><p class="p3">“Detectives Benson and Goren. My name is Jigsaw. You have been selected to represent humanity in this test of mental ability, toughness, and the will to do what is necessary. If you fail, you will die. If you succeed, you will live and humanity will have a chance to survive. Do you understand?”</p><p class="p3">“<em>Fuck, no</em>. Of course, we don’t understand. You’re not real. You’re a character from a movie.”</p><p class="p3">“I’m every bit as real as you or Detective Goren, Detective Benson. You can choose to accept the challenge or you can die right now. It’s up to you.”</p><p class="p3">“We accept,” said Bobby, shrugging his shoulders at Olivia.</p><p class="p3">The voice continued.</p><p class="p3">“Very well. I’m sure you’ve noticed your...cranial accessories. Examine them all you like, and you’ll find there are large screws in either side. There is one key which will unlock both helmets. Once every minute, the screws will tighten, and, if you fail to solve the puzzle in ten minutes, they will puncture your skulls and you will die. In the corner is a table with puzzle pieces on it. Once the puzzle is solved, the answer will be in front of you. Starting now.”</p><p class="p3">They strode over to the table, studying the pieces.</p><p class="p3">“This is ridiculous. It can’t be happening. It isn’t real,” said Olivia.</p><p class="p3">“Well, I’d rather get out of this headgear, if we can, and then worry about what’s real, don’t you agree, Detective?” Bobby’s voice was calm.</p><p class="p3">“Call me Liv. Under the circumstances.”</p><p class="p3">They started arranging the puzzle pieces and, after a minute had passed, they felt the screws tighten. Bobby took a deep breath, trying not to show fear. But, he was very good at spatial referencing, and realized there was no possible way to put this puzzle together in the allotted time.</p><p class="p3">
  <em>Jesus Christ. This is really happening.</em>
</p><p class="p3">“Detective Benson. Liv. If you know anything about me, you know I’m very good at making connections that aren’t obvious to other people, right?”</p><p class="p3">“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve heard you’re kind of an evidence savant,” she said, smiling grimly.</p><p class="p3">“There’s no way to finish this puzzle in time. The answer has to be something else. You have to trust me on that. And, call me Bobby. Under the circumstances.”</p><p class="p3">She considered for a moment, then nodded.</p><p class="p3">“OK. So, I trust you. Now what?”</p><p class="p3">The screws tightened another notch, and she shoved the panic back down the moment it welled up.</p><p class="p3">“What were his exact words, again?”</p><p class="p3">“Once the puzzle is solved, the answer will be in front of you,” he said.</p><p class="p3">They each ran their hands over their own apparatuses and one another’s and found no clue. The screws tightened again.</p><p class="p3"><em>Shit</em>. <em>What was that? Three minutes?</em></p><p class="p3">“In front of you. Physically in front of you, maybe?” Liv suggested.</p><p class="p3">Of course. Bobby stuck out his tongue and felt a square of something soft embedded in the inside of the helmet in front of his mouth. His pushed it with his tongue, and the helmet opened.</p><p class="p3">“Your tongue. Push the soft part of the inside of the helmet!”</p><p class="p3">Liv did and the helmet opened. They dropped them to the ground and hugged each other.</p><p class="p3">“My God. Fucking Christ. What just happened?”</p><p class="p3">Bobby was elated, pissed off, confused, and the adrenaline made him excruciatingly aware of the nearly-naked, female body pressed up against him. How could he not be?</p><p class="p3">“Well done, Detectives. The other few who figured it out took much longer than you did. You may proceed now. Open the door.”</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">Loki was nearly overcome with joy. No one had solved the first problem this fast before. Perhaps humans weren’t a lost cause, after all, and might even be helpful. Still three challenges to go, though.</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">Olivia turned the knob, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. Chained spread-eagle to the wall were two people, one man and one woman, naked and gagged. They were both crying and sobbing around their gags.</p><p class="p3">The voice came again.</p><p class="p3">”You’ll notice there are bags hanging around their necks. The bags contain tannerite, which I’m sure you’re aware, explodes when hit with a bullet. You will also notice there are two rifles on the opposite wall, each aimed at one bag. The woman has a piece of paper stapled to her hand. Written on it is a riddle. If you solve the riddle in ten minutes, they live. If not, they die. Starting now.”</p><p class="p3">“Oh, come on. You’re fucking with us. I know this isn’t real,” said Bobby, and strode toward one of the rifles to get a close look. He knew better than to touch anything (he was a detective, after all), but he didn’t expect what happened. Did not expect it at all.</p><p class="p3">As soon as he got close enough to get a good look at the mechanism, the rifle fired and the man’s chest exploded. Blood, bones, and body parts flew all over the room. The woman screamed hysterically around her gag, and Olivia froze in her tracks, wiping blood and tissue off her face and arms.</p><p class="p3">“Oh, my God,” Bobby whispered to himself.</p><p class="p3">The man’s arms and legs were still chained to the wall, but his head and torso were gone. Or, rather, they were in such tiny pieces as to be unrecognizable.</p><p class="p3">“Jesus Christ, Bobby. What the fuck? That felt real to me,” Olivia whispered back, trying not to vomit.</p><p class="p3">She edged toward the woman, speaking softly.</p><p class="p3">“It’s ok. It’s all right. We know now. You’ll be ok. Let me just—“</p><p class="p3">She tore the paper off the woman’s fingers and put a hand on her arm. The woman was wild-eyed, sobbing uncontrollably, and Liv reached up to unbuckle the gag.</p><p class="p3">“Nnnn...nnnn....” the woman shook her head violently. NO. NO.NO.</p><p class="p3">“Ok, it’s all right. I won’t touch the gag. Are you afraid the gun will fire if I do?”</p><p class="p3">The woman nodded, tears and snot dripping down her face.</p><p class="p3">“Bobby. I’m afraid to touch her,” then back to the woman.</p><p class="p3">“I’m sorry. We’ll solve the riddle. You’ll be all right, I promise.”</p><p class="p3">She attempted a reassuring smile, but realized it looked pathetic instead.</p><p class="p3">“Bobby. Come take a look. We don’t have a lot of time left.”</p><p class="p3">He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather his wits. That was his fault. The man had died because he’d made the wrong choice, and it wouldn’t happen again. He and Liv read the writing on the sheet of paper, which was covered in blood spatter now.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">‘What weighs more: All the trains passing through Grand Central Station in a day, or all the trees cut down in a year to print U.S. currency?’</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Liv’s hands were shaking.</p><p class="p3">“I know this! This is from a movie...um...wait...”</p><p class="p3">Bobby started wading through the riddle word by word.</p><p class="p3">“Grand Central Station. That’s the old name for Grand Central Terminal...”</p><p class="p3">“Inside Man! It was a bank robbery movie...but,what was the answer...” it was on the tip of her tongue.</p><p class="p3">“Currency! Money is made from cotton and linen, not paper!” Bobby almost yelled it out.</p><p class="p3">“Yes! The answer is NEITHER. Trains don’t pass through Grand Central Station—they pass through Grand Central Terminal—and no trees are cut down for currency!” Liv was yelling, too.</p><p class="p3">“The answer is ‘they both weigh nothing,’ you sadistic son-of-a-bitch!” Bobby screamed into the air.</p><p class="p3">The shackles around the woman clicked open and she slid to the floor, sobbing and crawling as fast as she could toward them. Liv unbuckled the gag, and the woman babbled hysterically at her, wrapping her arms around Liv’s legs.</p><p class="p3">“<em>OH, GOD</em>. Thank you...<em>help me.</em>..get me out of here. <em>Please</em>.”</p><p class="p3">Bobby pulled her to her feet and let her cry into his chest while the voice spoke again.</p><p class="p3">“What a shame that you lost one, but you did manage to save one,” it said, sympathetically.</p><p class="p3">“Good enough to move on. Two problems to go. You’re halfway there.”</p><p class="p3">“And, when we get through this, we’ll find you. Murder, torture, kidnapping...every charge we can think of, we’ll throw at you. Know that,” Liv said, her mouth a thin line of rage.</p><p class="p3">“Bold words, Detective. Let’s see if you have what it takes to back them up. Proceed to the next room.”</p><p class="p3">Bobby opened the door. On the floor in the middle of the room was a dirty mattress. There was nothing else in the room, and Liv and Bobby just looked at each other. The other woman was obviously in shock, not speaking at all, eyes unfocused and staring into space. Barely walking on her own. She dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged, shoulders drooping. The voice began speaking again, and a shiver ran up Liv’s spine.</p><p class="p3">“This one is simple. Nothing to figure out, no riddles to solve. It’s just fuck or die.”</p><p class="p3">“Wh—<em>what</em>? No. No, we can’t do that,” Bobby said, his voice shaking.</p><p class="p3">“That’s rape. You’re telling me I have to <em>rape</em> her in order to live?”</p><p class="p3">“I’m telling you that <em>you</em>, Detective Goren, have to have sexual intercourse with someone else in this room or you all die.”</p><p class="p3">“How am I supposed to get it up under these conditions? I can’t. No one can.”</p><p class="p3">“Oh, I assure you, people can and have, and I’ll know whether you orgasm or not. You have twenty minutes.”</p><p class="p3">Bobby looked at Liv.</p><p class="p3">“I don’t get it. This isn’t a test of ‘mental acuity.’ What am I missing?”</p><p class="p3">“It has nothing to do with mental acuity. It only requires ‘the will to do what is necessary,’” Liv said, clenching her jaw.</p><p class="p3">Their eyes met and they both knew what had to happen. Neither of them could or would even consider involving the woman who was already out of her mind with fear. Liv put her arms around Bobby’s neck.</p><p class="p3">“Well, handsome, what do you think? Do I do it for you?” Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but she dug deep and forced herself past the fear.</p><p class="p3">
  <em>I can do this. He can do this.</em>
</p><p class="p3">“Oh, my God, Liv...how can you...how can I...?”</p><p class="p3">“Just look at me, Bobby. Forget everything else. I couldn’t help but notice from the first moment how attractive you are. So tall,so good-looking, so self-possessed. What’s not to love? If we’d ever met on a case, I would have fucked you the first day.”</p><p class="p3">“You don’t mean that.”</p><p class="p3">“Yes, I do.”</p><p class="p3">She kissed him, deep and wanting, trying to forget where they were and what was around them. To her surprise, she felt a warmth and connection she would never have expected, and she went with it; let it amplify and grow.</p><p class="p3">When she pulled away, she was actually a little disappointed it had ended. She ran her hands down his chest and his biceps, then dug her nails into his rib cage a little, leaving red marks in lines down to his briefs.</p><p class="p3">He felt it and believed it. At least, his cock believed it. It twitched and started to fill just a little—enough to make her smile and keep going. She cupped his balls with one hand while the other rubbed him through his boxers until he was half-hard.</p><p class="p3">Liv dropped to her knees in front of him, looking up and keeping eye contact while she slowly pulled down his boxers to mid-thigh. He moaned softly. Her breath—oh, her breath was <em>hot</em> on him, and then she licked his shaft and smiled up.</p><p class="p3">“Well...you are...certainly well-endowed. I’m not sure I can handle that whole thing with my mouth.”</p><p class="p3">Surely, he had to know that was only the truth. What man wouldn’t know that about himself? If they weren’t in this situation right now, she’d be having a hard time keeping her hands off this man. Handsome, tall, intelligent, well-hung, and he knew how to handle himself under pressure. He was damn near the perfect man.</p><p class="p3">Under normal circumstances, she actually liked sucking cock. She loved the sense of control it gave her. So, she used that and focused on doing everything she’d ever learned about what men liked in a blow job.She took the head in her mouth and began to run her tongue around it, teasing the ridge with her teeth. Then, sucking it down as far as she could, squeezing around the base with thumb and forefinger. He was big enough that she really <em>couldn’t</em> get the whole thing in her mouth without gagging, but she went as far as she could.</p><p class="p3">Bobby did everything he could to block out what was around him, concentrating on Liv’s mouth. God, she knew what she was doing, and that in itself was a turn-on. He really was starting to get hard, and would have loved to come in her mouth, but...he couldn’t. He had to fuck her and he had to get his head around that. He pushed her away, took off his underwear, and lay down on the mattress.</p><p class="p3">“Take off your bra and panties. I need to see you naked.”</p><p class="p3">She did, and knelt on the mattress, pushing his thighs together with her knees. She leaned over him, letting her breasts drag over his skin from the base of his cock to his chest, then kissed him.</p><p class="p3">“I like to be on top. Does that work for you?” she asked in a low voice, running her fingers down his chest.</p><p class="p3">“Hmm, how did you know? I do like a woman who knows what she wants.”</p><p class="p3">“<em>Ah</em>...well...what I want is <em>you</em>. Just feel what you’ve done to me.”</p><p class="p3">She took his hand and moved it between her legs. She wasn’t dripping wet—that would be damn near impossible right now—but she was wet enough to convince him that what she felt was real. It didn’t matter if she came, apparently, so she focused everything on him.</p><p class="p3">“God, Liv, you’re wet. You’re actually <em>wet</em>. Do you have some kind of adrenaline fetish?”</p><p class="p3">She laughed.</p><p class="p3">“Of course. Why else would I do what I do?”</p><p class="p3">She raised up and ran the tip of his cock between her labia until it was wet. He still wasn’t completely erect, but it was enough that she was able to slowly drop her weight down on him, and felt him harden a little more.</p><p class="p3">“<em>Mmm</em>...you’re so thick...God, Bobby, you feel so <em>good</em>.”</p><p class="p3">And then, she began to move in earnest. Up and down on that ever-hardening cock, and it <em>did</em> feel good. She moaned (maybe louder than she normally would have), and he reacted just as she’d hoped. He began to push his hips up into her, his eyes closed in concentration.</p><p class="p3">“Keep talking, Liv. I need to hear your voice.”</p><p class="p3">“When we get out of here, I’ll fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked. Your cock is perfect, and you know that’s the truth.”</p><p class="p3">She was starting to pant and sweat from the effort, and that worked to her advantage.</p><p class="p3">“Look at me, Bobby. I <em>wanted</em> this. I wanted <em>you</em>.”</p><p class="p3">She tilted her head back and moaned again, her thighs burning, lifting up and down on him, and she could feel how close he was. He was so hard now. Just a little more...</p><p class="p3">“<em>Ah...oh, God...Liv...yes...”</em></p><p class="p3">Another half-dozen strokes and she felt him pulse inside her, felt his contractions, and kept going until she couldn’t feel any more. She fell on top of him, panting, and his heart was racing when she laid her head on his chest.</p><p class="p3">“We did it. <em>You</em> did it,” she laughed.</p><p class="p3">“Did you see that, you sick fuck? He did it. You know he did. Or, do I have to show you his cum dripping out of me right now?”</p><p class="p3">There was no response, and she rolled off him to catch her breath. She hadn’t realized until this moment that the woman had been staring, watching them the whole time.</p><p class="p3">“I’m sorry you had to see that, Miss...I never got your name. But, it’s ok. We did what we had to do, and we all get to live now. It’s all right.”</p><p class="p3">“My name is Chloe. I’m from Georgia.”</p><p class="p3">Her eyes moved back and forth from Olivia to Bobby like she was stuck in a loop, until Liv got up and put an arm around her shoulder. Then, she picked up Liv’s bra and underwear and handed it to her, while Bobby put his boxers back on.</p><p class="p3">Bobby pulled Olivia to him until their foreheads touched, and they stayed that way for a minute, until the voice spoke again.</p><p class="p3">“So, you’ve made it this far. Congratulations. Only two other pairs have done so. Now, one final test.”</p><p class="p3">This time, the door opened on its own. They walked in carefully and took note of everything around them, which wasn’t much, but what there was, was ominous. On a small table lay two pistols and on one wall was a bookcase with a few books in it. Chloe sat on the floor near the table and didn’t move.</p><p class="p3">“Detectives, you have ten minutes to do whatever you need to do to come to grips with what is about to happen. Then, each of you will pick up a weapon. Once you do, you’ll have thirty seconds to kill the other person. If you try to shoot yourself, the weapon will not fire. One of you must kill the other to save yourself and Chloe. When one of you dies, the other two will walk away, be transported home, and go on with your lives. As you’ve seen, death here is very real.”</p><p class="p3">“You sick bastard. You’ll never get away with this. And, why <em>the fuck</em> would we believe we get to go on with our lives? What’s to stop you from doing this again?” Bobby said in a barely-controlled stage whisper.</p><p class="p3">“I give you my word.”</p><p class="p3">“Oh, your <em>word</em>. Of course,” said Liv, bitterly.</p><p class="p3">“I’m sure your word is your bond.”</p><p class="p3">“As a matter of fact, it is. An unbreakable oath, if you will. A tradition as old as my ancestors. If you choose to spend your time arguing with me, feel free, but your ten minutes starts now.”</p><p class="p3">Liv met Bobby’s eyes and they both knew there was no possible way one of them was going to kill the other. Chloe just sat there, staring at the guns.</p><p class="p3">Bobby closed his eyes and took a deep breath.</p><p class="p3">“There has to be another way. There has to be. We just have to find it.”</p><p class="p3">Liv went to the bookcase to inspect the books. There was a copy of the <em>Poetic Edda</em>, the definitive medieval history of Viking mythology; <em>Norse Mythology</em> by Neil Gaiman; and <em>The Saga of the Volsungs, </em>which neither of them had ever heard of. They skimmed through them as best they could without spending too much time. Liv ripped out the first page of the copy of the Edda, crumpled it, and stuffed it in her bra. If they ever got out of this, she wanted something real to know it had actually happened. Actual evidence.</p><p class="p3">“This is obviously a hint. Norse mythology and Viking culture. What do we know about them?” asked Liv.</p><p class="p3">“Not a lot, unfortunately. Mostly what I’ve seen on TV and in movies. Whoever this sick fuck is, he’d have to know that we aren’t historians or anthropologists, so we’re not going to know much.”</p><p class="p3">“What was their view on death? I think that’s all that matters,” said Liv, squeezing her temples.</p><p class="p3">“Honor and courage above all else. The willingness to die in battle, because that’s your ticket to Valhalla. That’s all I’ve got.”</p><p class="p3">“Right. So, what would two Vikings do in this situation?”</p><p class="p3">They both said it at the same time.</p><p class="p3">“They’d both die. Their honor would not allow anything else.”</p><p class="p3">“That’s the answer, then,” said Liv.</p><p class="p3">“That’s what it comes down to. We have to kill each other. But, how does that solve the problem? Only one person lives, when it could be two.”</p><p class="p3">“I don’t know, Bobby, but I know I’m not going to kill you. I’d rather die. And, I’m willing to bet, based on what I know about you, that you feel the same way.”</p><p class="p3">He pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead, tears in his eyes.</p><p class="p3">“I don’t know what we did to deserve this, or earn it, or whatever it is, but it doesn’t matter now. We’ve come this far together and we die together.”</p><p class="p3">Liv nodded and kissed him, and wished more than anything that she’d had a chance to know him. How the hell had they gotten here? Did it even mean anything? They had no way of knowing, but she would not betray the moral code that had guided her entire life, and they were out of time. If this was a test of humanity, they’d show this asshole what humans were capable of. She just hoped she could pull the trigger. Well, if not, then at least Bobby would live.</p><p class="p3">“It’s settled then.”</p><p class="p3">She turned toward the table with the pistols, but before she’d taken two steps, Chloe had both guns pointed at them, hands trembling.</p><p class="p3">“Oh, no, you don’t. There’s no way either of you could pull the trigger on the other, and he promised me I’d live if I killed you both.”</p><p class="p3">Her voice was shaking and there were tears rolling down her cheeks.</p><p class="p3">“I don’t <em>want</em> to...I don’t...but, I want to live, and you heard him—if neither of you kills the other, we <em>all</em> die.”</p><p class="p3">Liv took Bobby’s hand and they faced her together.</p><p class="p3">“Do it, then. It’s what we already decided, and you’re just the instrument that saves us from having to kill each other. Have a good life, Chloe. Make our deaths worth something,” Bobby said, nodding at her.</p><p class="p3">Chloe pulled both triggers, and everything went black for Liv and Bobby.</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">Loki was impressed. A pair of humans had finally passed the test, and they’d had no real idea they were doing it for humanity. They had only done it for each other and for someone they didn’t even know. They hadn’t believed they were representing humankind, and he couldn’t blame them. In their positions, he wouldn’t have believed it, either. But, now, as acting King of Asgard and the Nine Realms, he would include Earth in the coming battle against Thanos. They deserved to know so they could do what they could to prepare, and humans like these two might even be useful. He made a point of reminding himself to check on them in a month, just to see what they were doing.</p><p class="p3">*****</p><p class="p3">When Liv woke, it was late Sunday evening. So, she’d lost a full day. What the hell kind of dream could have done that? It seemed so real, but...here she was, back in bed. Unlike a dream, though, it wasn’t fading. She threw back the covers to get up and make coffee, and felt an annoying poke between her breasts.</p><p class="p3">
  <em>Oh, God...the book. At least, maybe I’m not going insane. </em>
</p><p class="p3">She reached into her bra and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. Jesus. It <em>was</em> real—the first page of the Prose Edda.</p><p class="p3"><em>Bobby.</em> He was real, too, and she knew that for a fact. She grabbed her phone, and while coffee was brewing, found his contact information. She took a gulp of coffee and dialed his cell number.</p><p class="p3">“Goren.”</p><p class="p3">“Bobby. It’s Olivia Benson. Liv.”</p><p class="p3">She waited several long moments for a response, and finally heard him exhale.</p><p class="p3">“Liv. Is this real? Tell me something—anything—about why you’re calling me?”</p><p class="p3">“I have the piece of paper. The page I tore out and stuffed in my bra.”</p><p class="p3">“What are you doing right now?”</p><p class="p3">“Um, nothing. I just woke up. Trying to figure out what the hell just happened.”</p><p class="p3">“Detective Olivia Benson, would you care to have dinner with me tonight and see if we can figure it out together?”</p><p class="p3">She smiled and nodded into the phone.</p><p class="p3">“Yes, I would. I would love that. Meet you at Benini’s?”</p><p class="p3">“Eight o’clock. See you there.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>